Research Assistant

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join a well-established and experienced research and development team at HPFT in this newly created post

The research assistant will play a key role in the delivery of Trust research and development strategy. The post holder will play a pivotal role in (i) improving staff and service user engagement in research, (ii) expanding research capacity, capabilities, and impact and (iii) improving collaboration, partnership, and research bidding.

The post holder will work closely with the Audit, Continuous Quality Improvement, and Transformation team to include research skills into service evaluations.

The post holder will work closely with the clinical research practitioners to support NIHR portfolio related duties.

The post holder will support the development of research grants across the different disciplines within mental health and learning disabilities.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible for supporting the Research Strategy Operational Lead with the day to day running of the research workstreams, related networks, and ongoing projects.

The post holder will work closely with the Audit, Continuous Quality Improvement, and Transformation team to include research skills into service evaluations. This will involve supporting projects and assisting staff to publish their work in journals and conferences.

The post holder will work closely with the clinical research practitioners to support NIHR portfolio related duties.

The post holder will support the development of research grants across the different disciplines within mental health and learning disabilities.

The post holder will support the activities of the Mental Health and Learning Disability Research Network.

About us

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission.

Our family of over 4,000 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout:

Welcoming. Kind. Positive. Respectful. Professional.

Job responsibilities

Mental Health and Learning Disabilities (MHLD) Research Network (MHLD) Development

Organise meetings and events for the MHLD Research Network. Chair and minute where required.

Preparation and delivery of presentations, reports and newsletters or meetings detailing the work of the MHLD Research Network, its initiatives and performance.

Contribute to management of intranet, website and social media accounts for the Research and Development Department.

Support Principal Investigators (PIs) in recruitment of study subjects

Undertake duties by delegated by PIs for a range of studies

Project Design, Delivery, Management and Dissemination

Alongside the Clinical Leads and Research Leads, assist in the delivery and management of research projects, service evaluations, quality improvement initiatives and audits across the Trust. This might involve record and file keeping, data entry, clinical trial administration, data collection, and training of colleagues with study processes and procedures.

Assist with the delivery of research studies, including NIHR portfolio research studies (in collaboration with Clinical Research Practitioners), Industry-sponsored clinical trials and Trust own-account research projects, when required.

Undertake data analysis, using qualitative and quantitative methodologies, using spreadsheets, statistical approaches and dedicated software where appropriate.

Ensure that projects are completed within specified timeframes and to a high-quality standard, in line with agreed protocols.

Contribute to the dissemination of completed projects in a variety of formats, to include writing research publications for submission to peer reviewed journals, writing updates for project stakeholders, developing content for social media accounts, and plain English/Easy Read summaries for patient/carer stakeholders as required, and the provision of verbal presentations for meetings/conferences.

Identify quality improvement opportunities through analysis and understanding of data and information, reflection, and critical thinking.

Work with colleagues in the Quality Improvement (QI) and Practice, Audit & Clinical Effectiveness (PACE) Departments and multidisciplinary colleagues to establish publishable quality improvement and audit projects and help deliver measurable improvement within the Trust.

Help to develop and deliver training packages to diverse groups of staff and stakeholders.

Help to develop training packages for online training platforms.

Communication and Relationships

Identify, establish, and maintain working relationships with the relevant stakeholders and partners , Trust and regional R&D Directorates, commissioning bodies, patients, carers, the public and other relevant groups/individuals and provide a communication infrastructure for the Research and Development Department.

Devise email, website, and social media content to update relevant stakeholders of the Research and Development Department.

Identify, develop, and maintain effective collaborative relationships with relevant stakeholders, to include clinicians, patients, carers, and organisations.

Participate in communication, including preparation and delivery of presentations, reports and newsletters or meetings detailing the work of the Research and Development Department

Governance Management

Maintain a strong and current working knowledge of developments regarding clinical research, its regulation and governance, Good Clinical Practice, NHS functions and services to inform and guide the Workstreams strategy and plans accordingly.

Maintain a working knowledge of current legislation regarding Data Protection.

Continuous Professional Development

Continually update knowledge and understanding of the clinical populations served by the Trust.

Monitor developments in relevant services and pathways about audit, service evaluation and research.

Monitor policy and legal developments regarding audit, service evaluation and research.

Attend local and national events to remain up to date on field developments and promote the research stream.

Health and Safety

Health and Safety at Work In accordance with the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended) and other relevant Health and Safety legislation, staff have a duty to take responsible care to avoid injury to themselves and others by their work activities, to maintain a safe working environment for patients, visitors and employees and to co-operate in meeting statutory requirements

Infection Control

All Trust staff will:

Act as a role model and champion for the highest standard of all aspects of infection prevention and control and implementation of all Infection Prevention and Control Trust polices and guidelines.

Demonstrate respect for the roles and endeavours of others, in implementing good standards of hand hygiene.

Value and recognise the ideas and contributions of colleagues in their endeavours to reduce the incidence of healthcare associated infection.

Equality and Diversity

Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust is committed to providing an environment where all staff, service users and carers enjoy equality of access, provision, opportunity and outcomes.

The Trust works to eliminate all forms of discrimination and recognise that this requires, not only a commitment to remove discrimination, but also action through positive policies to redress inequalities.

Providing equality of opportunity means understanding and appreciating the diversity of our staff, service users & carers and ensuring a supportive environment free from harassment. As a result Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust actively encourages its staff to challenge discrimination and promote equality of opportunity for all.

Confidentiality

Employees must maintain confidentiality of staff, patients and Trust business and have a responsibility to comply with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018 and be aware of the Caldicott principles. If you are required to process information, you should do so in a fair and lawful way, ensuring accuracy is maintained. You should hold information only for the specific registered purpose and not use or disclose it in any way incompatible with such a purpose. You should disclose information only to authorised persons or organisations as instructed. Breaches of confidentiality in relation to information will result in disciplinary action, which may include dismissal. Employees are expected to comply with all Trust policies and procedures and to work in accordance of the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) 2018. For those posts where there is management or supervision of other staff it is the responsibility of that employee to ensure that their staff receive appropriate training.

Standards of Business Conduct and Conflicts of Interest

The Trust has adopted a Standards of Conduct Policy, which reflects NHS Management Executive Guidelines. It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure that they act as a role model, by upholding the principle of a leading mental Trust. Staff should be informing their line manager if they are working for any other organisation to ensure that this Trust complies with the Working Time Regulations.

Information and Records Management

The post holder must be competent in using IT and have the relevant skills to carry out the activities required for the post.

To comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Department of Health Code of Confidentiality in line with Trust procedures.

To adhere to the Trusts policies on records management including creation, use, storing and retention and disposal of records.

Adhere to the Trusts Corporate Identity (using the standard templates available on the Trust intranet HIVE).

Safeguarding Adults and Children

The Trust is committed to ensuring adults and children are protected and come to no harm from abuse. All employees have a responsibility to be aware of national and local policies, their individual responsibilities with regards to the protection and safeguarding of both adults and children, and must adhere to them at all times.

Organisational Change

As services develop and change, the post holder may be required to undertake other responsibilities within the Trust.

Flexible Working

The Trust believes that its staff members are its most valuable asset and is committed to attracting and retaining the very best, and utilising all the talent and experience available. The Trust recognises the importance of helping its employees balance their work and home life by offering flexible working arrangements that enable them to balance their working life with other priorities, including parental and other caring responsibilities, life-long learning, charity work, leisure activities and other interests.

Review:

This job description is an outline, which reflects the present requirements of the post and is not intended to be an inflexible or finite list of duties and responsibilities. As these duties and responsibilities change and develop the job description will be amended from time to time in consultation with the post holder.

Knowledge/ Qualifications/ Training

Essential